The S.T.A.R.S. (Superhuman Tactics and Response Squads) are the elite squads that are sent to deal with Novas that are causing trouble. They're the elite of the human race, and the first line of defense between humanity and the superhumans that dwell among them. The fact that the S.T.A.R.S. are deployed as a first resort in Nova-Related trouble, rather than as a last resort, has been harshly criticized by political pundits, especially given the wide-spread reports of police brutality that clings to them like a bad smell. Abnormals on both sides of the law openly despise them.